Disease Outbreaks From US Drinking Water Still Take Lives

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Disease outbreaks due to drinking water aren't as common as they
were, say, a century ago, but there are typically at least a
dozen yearly in the United States, according to a new report from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over the two-year period of 2009 and 2010, there were 33 disease
outbreaks linked to
drinking water in the United States. The outbreaks sickened
1,040 people, including 85 who were hospitalized, and caused nine
deaths, the report said.

Four of these outbreaks, including one involving a person's
death, were linked with private wells, the rest were all due to
community water supplies.

Most outbreaks (58 percent) were caused by the bacteria
Legionella, while 12 percent were caused by the bacteria
Campylobacter. However, Campylobacter sickened
more people, causing 78 percent of the cases, while
Legionella accounted for 7 percent of cases. [ 5
Things You Should Know About Legionnaires' Disease ]

The most common cause of outbreaks was Legionella in
plumbing systems, followed by untreated drinking water.

Another 12 outbreaks were linked with water sources other than
drinking water, such as misting devices and cooling towers. Six
people died in these outbreaks. Legionella bacteria
caused the majority of these outbreaks as well.

The findings "highlight several emerging and persisting public
health challenges associated with drinking water systems," the
report said.

Legionella outbreaks are particularly challenging
because this type of bacteria "multiplies in plumbing systems
within buildings, which usually fall outside of regulatory
oversight," the report said. Two of the outbreaks occurred in
facilities that had already installed treatment systems to
control Legionella.

Additional efforts are needed to monitor well water sources to
protect them from contamination, and educate the public about how
to prevent outbreaks in wells.

There are also challenges with aging infrastructure: two
outbreaks were caused by cross connections between potable and
non-potable water pipes, the report said.

"Additional research is needed to understand the interventions
that are most effective for controlling growth of
Legionella and reducing
outbreaks of legionellosis," the report said.

The report is published this week in the CDC's Morbidilty and
Mortality Weekly Report.